Time zone differences are impacting your project deadlines. How can you effectively navigate this challenge?

Timezone differences can be a real pain, unless you do this: 1. Optimise for who needs to adjust thier schedule. In my situation, this is me. I like this because it impacts my team less, shows my commitment to the team, and allows me to utilise them at their best. 2. Overlap. My team and I now get 10 days per week instead of 5 to deliver outputs. Tagging eachother in at the end of each workday with an email update on the status of the project allows us to carry on seamlessly. 3. Identify key call times and sleep times. No-one likes getting woken up for a work call. Respect your teams down time, and never expect a response out of business hours.

Differences in time zones can be a challenge but they can also be an asset if used effectively. Having the team split across different time zones means that you have more productive hours available every day - but the trade-off is that you will have less people working simultaneously which could impact collaboration. Mapping out the time zones is important to identify periods of overlap (where collaboration efforts can be maximised). Depending on the make up of the team some people might benefit from the times when things are quieter to allow them to focus. It is important that there be one person with decision making authority present in each time zone if something unplanned happens - especially in projects with tight deadlines.

I like @Mark Roper's comments. Additionally: 1. Keep communicating with your clients. 2. It is my reality that I am in a different time zone so I try to make sure that things are achieved by the date and time stipluated in their timezone. 3. One benefit is that I work during their night - so I can sometimes deliver an answer overnight - that is a real boon. 4. Timezone differences are only an issue if you let them become an issue. 5. I make time in the middle of the night to meet with clients if that is what works best for them. You might have to be a bit more creative than working in the same timezone :-) Best wishes

Communication is the number one trust maker or breaker for digital nomads. If your team can't find you, they won't trust you. Have clear times set aside for communication, and the best tools to reach you on (phone, txt, apps, email etc). Constantly engage and update eachother on where your projects are at, and who is carrying the ball forward ...

Identifying the who, what and when is critical for good workflow design: 1. Who is needed on the task, and do they need help? 2. What are the hold points at which collaboration or discussion is required? 3. Who is responsible for review? By making these three facets clear, planning accross timezones need not be difficult. The biggest issue I come accross is wasted time, where team members have not communicated that they are waiting for something.

This section would be better referred to as Planning. Workflow means different things to different people and in this concept we are talking about a project so being clear that we are referring to the project's plan would help. Knowing that the team will be split across multiple time zones means that the work / resource allocation needs to consider this when mapping out the critical path to remove the risk of avoidable delays due to poor planning. Knowing the make up of the teams is key here. Ideally each team is similarly capable and has a solid understanding of the project's goals and the technology being used. Disparate skills adds its own layer of complexity to the time zone challenge but it must also be considered in the plan.

If you are the digital nomad it is in your interest to be flexible. Your team is using you for your expertise and the value you add. They aren't interested in why your lifestyle is hard. They probably don't care. If you are clear on what you want, and how you can add value to a team you should show up to deliver it. The reward from working odd hours is worth it in my opinion.

People overcomplicate remote work. You don't need: 1. Fancy project management tools. Got email and messenger? Use them. 2. A calendar web extension telling you when people are in and out of the office. Got google? Find out what time it is where they are in less than 10 seconds. 3. A digital leash. Nobody likes having their activity tracked while working remotely. Trust your team? Do they deliver what they say? Leave them to create value for your business while you do the same. People make it out that working remotely is harder than an office job. Sure, you can make it complicated. Or you can just make it your every day and get shit done.